Stringed musical instrument



T. COBB. Stringed Musical Instrument.

No. 223,318, Patented Jan.-6, 1880.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS COBB, OF BROOKFIELD, GEORGIA.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,318, dated January 6, 1880.

Application filed October 14, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS 001313, of

yBrookfield, in the county of Berrien and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My improved musical stringed instrument is of the kind in which both hands are nsedin playing, and in a manner similar to playing on the zithern. It has two separate stringed bars, placed parallel to each other upon a sounding-board, each having a group of four strings, a line of frets, a suitable note-scale, and provided with tuning-keys. These separate stringed fret-bars form elevated stringbridges, and extend from one end of the soundingboard to the other, and the tuning-keys are arranged at one end of each fret-bar and at opposite ends of the sounding-board.

The object of this construction is to adapt the instrument to be played by two persons at the same time, one playing tenor and the other bass or treble, and in playing upon which they sit with their right sides at opposite sides of the instrument.

The two strings next the outer edge of the sounding-board are treble and of the same tone, the third the counter, and the fourth the bass, and when played produce full and piano-like tones. One person can play either with his hands or with a bow.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l represents my improved musical instrument; Fi 2, a top view of one of the stringed bridges, and Fig. 3 a cross-section of the instrument.

The base a of the instrument I prefer to make of oblong rectangular form, with the sounding-board b properly braced and pro vided with suitable sound openings. It is about three feet in length, one foot four inches in width, and three inches in depth.

Upon the sounding-board are secured, at

suitable distances apart, two parallel bars, 0

0, each provided with a surface group of four wire strings, d e f g, secured at one end, and tuned by keys h at the other end. Each of these stringed bridge-bars is provided with frets t" at the edge next the outer edge of the soundingboard, and extending from near one end of the bridge-bars to the other, and on the inner edges of said bridge bars are arranged the note-scales j in proper relation to the frets.

The bridge-bars I prefer to make solid, with internal arches or spanning spaces It, for proper sound effect, and the bars of such width as to give proper spaces for the strings, and projecting a suitable distance from the board.

The tuning-keys of each bridge are arranged with one set of one bridge at one end of the sounding-board and the other set of the other bridge at the other end of the soundii'ig-board, as shown in the drawings; and the strings are tuned over metallic cross-bridges l at each end of the stringed bridges.

Each stringed bridgeis complete in itself, and the arrangement and relation of the bridges to the soundingboard are to give the ad *antage of two persons playing upon the same instrument, each sittin at opposite sides and at 0pposite ends, and in which one plays tenor and the other bass or treble.

The two strings having the nearest relation to the frets have the same tenor sound, and the third string has a lower or counter tone, while the fourth one has a bass tone, and each fret-bar is tuned the same.

The note-scales may be made in characters such as are found in the Sacred Harp and in the Temple Harp, or indicated by do, re, mi, &c.

Any person skilled in the use of stringed instruments will readily understand how to use my invention.

The instrument may be made of any suitable style and form, and of any suitable size. I may also make the instrument with one stringed 5 IOO each having a group of four strings, a line of line of frets, and a note-scale, arranged on said frets, and note-scales, and having the keys for bridge-bar, as and for the purpose herein set the strin at one end of each bridgehar and forth.

set at the opposite ends of the sounding-board, In testimony that I claim the ioregoing I 5 substantially as herein set forth. have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of 00- I 5 2. In a stringedinstrument, the bridge havtober, 1879. ing a length equal to that of the sounding- THOMAS COBB. board, an d provided with interval soundspaces Witnesses: having the described relation to the sounding- WM. A. PRITGHARD, IO board in combination with the Wire strings, a- J. M. I-IARRELL. 

